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GPS corrections from the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service can improve the positioning accuracy and user experience of GPS-enabled mobile phones, even if EGNOS satellites are not visible and even when the GNSS chipset in the phone does not support satellite-based augmentation systems. read more

A new method enables the mobile phone to compute its own position using acquisition assistance data with increased resolution in some of the fields. It benefits network operators as they can deliver the best performance with minimum bandwidth requirements, making this especially relevant in emergency-call situations. read more

In November, December, and January, a regulatory drama with high potential impact on the GPS signal and domestic U.S. GPS users began unfolding before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). As this magazine goes to press on January 24, the issue remains far from resolved, although hearings and far-reaching decisions may have transpired by mid-February. A company called LightSquared applied to... read more

"E mergency Alert: Bus collision in Berchtesgaden, parking area Salzbergwerk. Many injured. Bus overturned, some thrown from vehicle, some trapped inside. Local temperature below freezing, snow falling. All crews respond immediately.”
The alarm operations center for the state of Bavaria receives this message from the accident location, and swiftly moves into coordinating activity, gathering and distributing real-time geospatial data and other key information to all emergency teams and medical facilities in the area. read more

What’s in Store for the Next Solar Maximum?Although the sun can become disturbed at any time, solar activity is correlated with the approximately 11-year cycle of spots on the sun’s surface. We are just coming out of a minimum in the solar cycle and headed for the next maximum, predicted to occur around the middle of 2013. How significantly will GNSS users be affected? In this month’s column, two ionosphere experts tell us what might be in store. read more

I was fortunate enough in 1993 to have three minutes of fame on 60 Minutes in a program about GPS that aired between Christmas and New Year’s that year. Also in the 13-minute segment was a short demo of a GPS PLGR... read more

Can the development and use of smart technologies actually render us dumber? Have we already lost a mental step or two, as we equip ourselves fearlessly for the future? Marshall McLuhan, the “medium is the message” guy from back when, preached that tools numb whatever part of the body they amplify. By extrapolation, location-enabling tools render us less aware of our actual place. read more